Page 7 of My Demon Manny

Kym was a kitsune-human known for his purifying fire. His fire now burned in the Burning Chasm, and it was slowly cleansing all the evil souls so they could be better people and get a chance to be reborn.

Well, to cut a long story short, some other demons had led to the discovery that we demons were unable to recognize our fated mates because of an archaic spell put on us at the time of our creation to make us better torturers. By the time we were relieved of our duties and got our place in the demon realm, everyone had forgotten about the spell.

Luckily, Kym's fire could remove this spell, and he'd done just that for me. After that, I'd spent a few days wondering if I'd stumble upon my mate somewhere before realizing it wasn't that easy.

Just because I could sense them now didn't mean I'd bump into them in a coffee shop or something equally cliché. That was nothing but wishful thinking.

Or so I'd thought.

Because when my arm brushed against Archer's, when our skin touched for the very first time, a bolt of lightning crashed through me, and a voice filled my head, chanting one single word again and again.

Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate.

I remembered mumbling something about bottles before escaping to the kitchen to get a moment to myself, and now I leaned against the counter with my face buried in my hands.

Just my luck.

What was I supposed to do now?

I hadn't really thought much about Archer before now. Sure, I'd noticed he was handsome, and I hadn't minded that little peek at his chest the other day, but I didn't know him that well yet. Not enough to know if I might be interested in him.

And just because we were mates didn't mean we had to be together, right? Fated mates weren't always romantic—though non-romantic mated pairs were rare—so maybe I didn't need to worry.

I didn't think Archer was even into men, so that was a whole 'nother issue.

While I enjoyed sex as much as any other allosexual person, I'd never been romantically interested in someone, and I didn't know if that would change just because Archer was my mate.

"Nothing has to change," I muttered, then gave a firm, decisive nod, stuffing the little morsel of information in the back of my mind. It changed nothing.

I was here to take care of Gunner and to make Archer's life easier, and that was all I was going to do. The fact that we were mates had no bearing on my work.

Feeling a lot more clear-headed, I cleaned up the dirty bottles—I'd started collecting them in the kitchen instead of leaving them out on the coffee table—and then filled a new one, carrying it back to Archer and Gunner.

Archer was walking around the room with the baby cradled in his arms, and he smiled as he took the bottle from me, then settled on the armchair as he started feeding Gunner. Gunner seemed determined to hold his own bottle, but Archer still kept a few fingers at the back of it for support.

While Gunner had his meal, I cleaned up around the living room a little, returning the wet wipes and powder to the nursery and collecting all the toys in the basket.

Lastly, I changed the blankets in Gunner's crib, switching them with a fresh set from the nursery.

When I was done, I loaded up the washing machine, adding clothes from the laundry basket I'd found in the nursery to the cycle.

Returning to the living room, I found Archer right where I'd left him, now with a dozing Gunner in his arms.

"How about you take care of this little guy for a bit and I'll make us some dinner?" Archer suggested, and I frowned.

"I can do it."

Sure, I didn't know how to cook all that many things, but I could magic things up. As long as I made sure to only use the things he had in his pantry and refrigerator, something I'd forgotten to do at lunch, I'd be golden.

"It's fine. Today's your first day here, and you've already done a lot. Take a breather while he's napping, and I'll make us something."

I sighed, but then did as he asked. He was the boss, after all, and that's all he was. All I could allow him to be in my head.

Watching as he carefully tucked Gunner into his crib, I was struck by the realization that they actually looked quite beautiful together.

Archer was this tall, imposing man, and considering where he lived, I was sure he had a long job title and went to work dressed in expensive suits. But right then, he just looked like a father who loved his son, and would do anything to keep him safe. I'd never seen this type of love in real life before, and I realized there wasn't muchIwouldn't do to keep these two and their precious bond safe, and it had absolutely nothing to do with what Archer might mean to me.

While I clicked through the TV channels with the sound off so it wouldn't wake Gunner, I could hear his dad moving around in the kitchen.

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